Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Allison Terry

Abstract

The number of Canadian seniors with 2 or more chronic health conditions living into their late 90s or older has never been greater. As such, concerns have been raised that the Canadian healthcare system will be unable to meet the growing healthcare needs of the aging population. In this project, an Advanced Practice Nursing needs assessment was used to identify the impact that caring for a senior has on caregivers' stress levels, and what resources caregivers need to in order to cope with their role. Guided by Neuman's system model theory and Rogers' diffusion of innovation model, a convenience sampling technique was used to gather a sample of caregivers who provide services to seniors age 65 years and older. A total of 33 individuals were sampled; however, valid data were present for only 25 respondents in the quantitative investigation and 27 respondents in the qualitative investigation. Quantitative data were gathered on demographic variables, a caregiver's overall level of stress, and a caregiver's burden. Qualitative data were gathered on what resources would help a caregiver feel less stressed. Nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data, and the qualitative data were subjected to a content analysis. Quantitative results revealed that as the respondents got older, their caregiver burden and stress increased; the data also revealed that more educated respondents had less caregiver burden and less stress. Analysis of the qualitative data found that the caregivers wanted more support, more information on how to be a better caregiver, more respite care, and more help from both the Community Care Access Centers and the government. It is expected that the findings of this project can be used as a basis for planning and allocating services for caregivers.

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